


Creeping Colour, Brightened Eyes

by hallowgirl



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Blushing Castiel, But Everyone Hates Zachariah, Castiel Does Not Understand, Castiel is adorable, Dean Loves Cas, Dean in Denial, Destiel - Freeform, Destiel Cute, Destiel Fluff, Destiel Humour, Destiel Stares, Even Zachariah, First Kiss, From friends to lovers, M/M, Nervous Castiel, Protective Dean, Sam Ships It, Shy Castiel, Socially Awkward Castiel, Zachariah Being a Dick, even if he doesn't know it, everyone can see it, everyone ships it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-13
Updated: 2015-03-13
Packaged: 2018-03-17 15:05:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3533945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hallowgirl/pseuds/hallowgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"If someone had told Dean a few years ago that he'd be in a motel room winding up an Angel of the Lord, with the sole aim of making that Angel of the Lord blush, Dean would have said they were crazy." Four times Dean Winchester noticed Castiel blushing and one time he did something about it. Destiel. Set around s5.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Creeping Colour, Brightened Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> This basically came about because I spend too much time thinking about whether angels blush or not, and this is what I came up with. Castiel being adorable. Leave a comment!

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Dean wouldn't have put a bet on angels being able to blush but then Cas has a tendency to surprise.

The first time he notices it is when Cas manages to cover his food in pepper instead of salt. Dean doesn't notice until it's too late and Cas is already raising the food to his mouth when Dean dives for him, and grabs the fry out of his hand.

"Dude, if you eat that, it is going to spoil your experience of fries forever." Dean waves the waitress over and says "Can we get another plate, please? Pepper mishap."

The waitress winks and nods and smiles and Dean's too busy watching her go before Sam kicks him under the table and he glances back at Cas who's staring at Dean, his head tilted to the side. "What was wrong with it?"

"Oh." Dean grabs the salt and pepper pots from across the table and shows them to Cas. "You put pepper on instead of salt. See, the pepper's black-" He shakes a bit onto the table. "And the salt's white." He does the same thing and Castiel stares at the table with that crease in his brow he does whenever he fails to understand some particular human thing.

"The salt pot's generally just got one hole" Sam points out helpfully. "And the pepper's got a bunch. Good way to tell the difference."

Castiel purses his lips and nods. Dean holds up his hands. "Pepper would have spiced up your mouth" he says, taking a bite of his burger. "Next time, just pour the white stuff on the fries."

"Not too much of that, either" Sam interjects, picking up the salt and adding it to his own. "See? Like this."

Castiel nods. "I understand" he says slowly, his fingers sliding in and out of one another, his teeth digging into his lip.

"Cool." Dean goes back to his burger and it's only when Sam kicks him again that he glances up and notices Castiel is still staring at the table. He's threading his fingers together over and over and there's a flush creeping up his cheeks, a tinge of colour that makes Dean stop dead and stare.

"Dude, you're blus-" Sam kicks him for the third time and Dean drops the burger and stares. "Dude, would you leave it with the kicking?"

Castiel's cheeks are burning now and he keeps his eyes on the table. "I didn't mean to get it wrong, Dean" he says, and there's something so mournful in his voice that Dean finds himself reaching out to put a hand on Cas's shoulder, fingers squeezing gently.

"No worries, Cas. It's just human stuff, right? Once you've been around us a bit longer, you'll pick up on it."

Castiel nods slowly, and then Dean nudges a finger under his chin without thinking about it, tilting his head so that Cas meets his eyes. "Cas, it's not a big deal."

Cas's brow furrows and without thinking, Dean flicks his finger gently under his bottom lip , slowly teasing his mouth into a smile. The smile hovers when Dean pulls his hand back, even as that flush creeps further up his cheeks and Dean turns back to his plate, suddenly conscious that Sam is watching the two of them across the table, a smirk growing at his mouth.

"What?" Dean demands, shoving the burger into his mouth and the waitress reappears then with a fresh plate. Dean doesn't really notice her this time around, though. He's too busy watching Cas carefully sprinkle salt on his fries exactly the same way that Sam showed him, that colour still in his cheeks, and for some reason, making Dean want to grin until his face hurts.

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The second time Dean notices Cas is blushing is after a shower.

Dean's kind of used to just walking out of the bathroom with Sam there, and yanking a shirt on-when you spend your life going from room to room, you get used to it and if he'd spared much thought to it, which he hasn't, he'd have presumed Cas wouldn't much care given that Cas remade him, basically. He'd have thought the whole modesty thing was kind of over, after that.

So when Dean steps out into the room with just a towel wrapped around his waist and sees Cas sitting on the end of the bed, he doesn't bat an eyelid. "Hey, Cas" he mutters, already wondering what he and Sam are eating for dinner-the weather's a bitch tonight so it's going to be take out, he just needs to work out what Samantha will deem healthy enough to-

It takes him a minute to realise that Cas hasn't replied and he glances up to see Castiel's fingers digging into the bedcovers, his cheeks flushed and his eyes wide. His eyes are fixed firmly on Dean's chest, but the second he realises Dean is watching, he glances away, fixing his gaze firmly on the floor as Dean stares at him.

"Oh. Sorry." He grabs a shirt from over the back of a chair, yanks it over his head, heading back towards the bathroom. "So, what's got your feathers in a twist anyway?" he calls back, kicking the door over as he drops the towel to the floor, yanks on clean boxers in one quick move and steps out into the room again.

Castiel swallows at the sight of him and then quickly begins pulling at his trenchcoat. "I-Dean-I just wanted to-check. In. I mean, on you. To make sure you and Sam were-were-well. I just wanted-to check, I mean-um-"

Dean stares at him. Cas drops his eyes to his lap and Dean watches the flush creep up his cheeks again, in a way that shouldn't be as kind of cute as it is.

Dean mentally slaps himself. Where the hell did that come from?

"Dude" he says, before he can start dwelling on it because if anything's the road madness, it has to be thinking that Castiel, Angel of the Freaking Lord, is cute. "What's got your feathers in a twist?"

Castiel blinks and opens his mouth, then closes it again. "Um-feathers. Feathers do not twist, Dean. They may get tangled sometimes but that is a rarity." He has one hand on his neck and he's staring at the opposite wall but he's speaking a little faster than usual and he's still blushing, fidgeting with the end of his tie.

"OK, Chuckles, I get it. I meant, what's got you all-" Dean gestures because suddenly, he's not that sure how to phrase it.

"All what?" Castiel is suddenly staring back at Dean again, eyes wide and panicked, and Dean bends to grab his jeans from the floor, pulls them up his legs.

"I don't know, man." He sits down next to Castiel and if possible, Castiel's eyes go even wider. "Just seem kind of-" He was going to say weird but then that's kind of Castiel's natural state. "Tense" he chooses as a better option and he lets his hand brush Cas's shoulder without thinking.

Castiel almost jumps off the bed, kind of proving Dean's point. "I-um-I-"

Dean stares at him. "Dude, you OK?"

Because his baby brother has the worst timing in the world, it's right then that Sam walks into the room and stands stock still, staring at them. "What's wrong?"

Dean rolls his eyes. "Sammy, ever heard of privacy?" and Castiel jumps again, his hand brushing Dean's, and a small spark of electricity fires in Dean's chest and seriously, what is he, a teenage girl?

"Yeah. It's that thing I don't get when you borrow my laptop without asking."

"Oh, boo hoo" which might not be Dean's best comeback ever but he's already staring at Cas again. "You sure nothing's wrong?"

The colour's faded from Cas's cheeks a bit now but he stares at Sam, not Dean. "I'm fine" he says, the voice a little more like himself and he manages to smile. "Just checking in."

Sam glances up. "Stay if you like, Cas-I mean, we're just going to be hanging out, watching Dean clog his arteries-"

"Shut up, Samantha."

Castiel smiles, and it's more like his old smile this time. "That would be pleasant" he says and there's a strange warmth in Dean's chest at the words. Cas glances at him and the smile remains, his eyes on Dean's now. Dean watches him, taking in just how blue Cas's eyes are-he's never really noticed that before-something about Cas's expression, really, that weird thing where he never usually smiles, but when he does, you know that-

Sam clears his throat and Dean half-jumps off the bed. "I was listening!" he says defensively before Sam raises an eyebrow. Next to him, Cas has gone scarlet again.

Sam just watches them both for a moment with that annoying grin of his before he says "Dean, I didn't say anything."

"Good!" Dean bites the word out before he can think twice about the fact it doesn't make any sense, and heads for the takeout menus before he can glance back at Cas. "What are we eating, I'm freaking starving."

Cas stays for the rest of the evening but every time his and Dean's hands brush together, that same spark fans in Dean's chest and Cas will drop his eyes, that blush creeping up his face again, that Dean can't stop noticing for some reason or another.

Sam keeps smirking at them both but then Sam's an idiot.

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The third time is when Zachariah turns up to be a dick which is apparently in his job description and Castiel is glaring at him like a kid about to tell his bully big brother where to go.

Dean's kind of proud of the way Cas just orders Zachariah to leave (it always seems downright weird the way Cas can go from not knowing which shaker salt comes out of, for Christ's sake, to facing down half the hosts of heaven like he's looking at a few traffic cones) and then Zachariah starts on about how Cas has "fallen", etc. and Dean's ready to tune out the blah blah blah about how humans are like dogs or whatever, and he's just keeping his eye on Cas who's giving Zachariah serious bitchface right now when out of nowhere Zach the Humourless turns to Cas with the decidedly weird line-"Though maybe I've overlooked some of the perks you have found on Earth, Castiel."

Castiel doesn't look at him but he says, with his eyes on his shoes, "My priorities are what will best benefit humanity."

Zachariah chuckles and Dean has to clench his fists in his pockets just to stop himself from storming over and giving Zach the Smug-Ass Dickhead a punch in the jaw.

"Forgive me, Castiel" and Zacharaiah smirks as he glances over at Dean Winchester. "I think some of your priorities are a little more self-interested."

And that's it for Dean. "Listen, Junkless" he says and steps forward, ignoring Castiel's warning look. "You going to get to the point anytime soon or we just going to hang around here a few hundred years, waiting for your wings to drop off?"

Castiel is glaring at Dean but at the same time, a corner of his mouth twitches. Zachariah's eyes flicker between the two of them and his own grin broadens.

"Maybe I've underestimated you, Castiel. Maybe it's a perk for both of you."

Dean glares at him. "You want to speak English or are you going to just stand around looking pretty all night?"

And Zachariah laughs then, his voice echoing around the room. "Forgive me, Dean Winchester. I would have thought Castiel fulfils that need for you, already."

It's Sam who says "What do you want, Zachariah?" with a warning glance at Dean but Dean's already got an arm in front of Castiel's chest, and he's glaring at Zach the Eternal Jerk-Off, picturing a blade sunk into his chest. "Yeah? Well, here's a thought. We're not interested in what you're offering. So why don't you shove that down your trap and flutter off back to Bible Camp?"

Zachariah inhales sharply and glances at Castiel. "I pity your taste, Castiel" he says, that smile still hovering at his lips. "And to think that of every reason you could have had for falling, such a _human_ emotion pulled you down."

"Listen up-"

But it's Dean Zachariah stares at now. "Perhaps he's blind, Castiel. Maybe that's the reason he hasn't noticed your-" He draws the word out, gently stresses it. _"Longings."_

Dean glances at Cas, expecting a full-on battle glare-but Cas is staring at him, with something that looks very much like fear. As soon as Dean's eyes meet his, Castiel drops his gaze to the ground, his fists clenched at his side. There's a definite flush to his cheeks in the light and as Dean watches, Castiel blushes harder, his gaze determinedly on the ground.

Behind them, Zachariah laughs, and that's it, that's it for anyone who makes Cas look like this, and Dean steps forward to take a swing at the bastard with Sam already jumping to hold him back.

Zachariah holds up his hands. "Don't trouble yourself, Dean" he says with that laugh, but his eyes never leave Cas, who's still not looking at anyone. "But truly, Castiel, who would have guessed of all of us, it would be _you_ who developed such a _human attachment?"_

Dean makes another dive forward but Zachariah's already vanished, off to be a dick somewhere else, hopefully to someone who can make his vessel explode or whatever.

Sam's already got his mouth open ready to launch into some girlish "be-more-careful" lecture but Dean's got his hand on Cas's shoulder before Sam can even get out the first word. "Hey. Cas. You all right?"

Castiel stares at the floor for another moment before he takes in a deep, surprisingly shaky breath and raises his eyes to Dean's. "I'm fine" he says, but there's a crack in that voice and those fists are still clenched at his sides. "I-" He swallows and his eyes flicker away from Dean's. "Pay no mind to him" he says, still staring at the opposite wall. "He just wishes to cause upheaval."

Dean frowns. "You sure you're OK?" and when Cas doesn't respond, he tenses his fingers and shakes his shoulder a little. "Cas, look at me."

Castiel finally turns his gaze back to Dean's and it's a gaze more raw than Dean would have ever expected. "Are you OK, Dean?"

Dean shrugs. "It's not me Junkless there was gunning for."

Castiel opens his mouth, then closes it again. "I suppose not" he says, but his cheeks are still flushed and he's getting the wide-eyed look again that completely belies the creature that stood there just a few minutes ago and told Zachariah to leave with his voice that crackled through the air and reminded Dean of the way Cas had once leaned into him and demanded more respect.

"Cas-" Dean holds up his hands. "Hey. You should know better than to think we're going to listen to Dickwing McDouchebag over there."

Cas raises his gaze to Dean's, a reluctant smile now tugging at his mouth. Dean grins back and somehow his arm slides around Cas's shoulders. "Now, let's get back to the motel and order some food in."

Castiel smiles again, this time a more genuine one, and Dean glares at Sam over his shoulder. "And you can save the lectures, Samantha."

Sam holds up his hands. "Wasn't me he was looking at" he mutters but he manages to deflect Dean's glare by putting his own hand on Cas's arm and distracting the angel with inquiries about angelic food habits.

Dean sits next to Cas the rest of the evening and when he wakes up with his neck cricked to find Sam passed out snoring on the opposite bed and that Cas has dozed off with his head on Dean's shoulder, he doesn't even bother to push him off. Instead, he just lets his head fall back against Cas's, their hair brushing, and one hand holding onto Cas's sleeve and his mouth an inch from Cas's cheek.

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The fourth time Cas ends up blushing is when Dean realises his tie's come undone.

"Here" he says and he takes a step towards Cas without even thinking about it and Cas swallows.

"I underestimated the difficulty of ties" he says with that deadly-serious look that makes Dean bite back a laugh and fumble the tie into something that resembles a neat knot.

"There you go, Casanova" he says and pulls the tie up to Cas's collar. Then, the collar looks wrong so obviously Dean has to start messing around with that, just pulling at it and fussing until it's into place, and then he's got to straighten it a little.

"My name is not Casanova" Castiel says, his voice a little quieter than usual and Dean arches a brow. "How've you been around for over a thousand years and not watched a single movie?"

"I have seen some movies. I saw the one you took me to with the unrealistic action sequences."

"I'm educating you." Dean waves a finger and then uses it to tap Cas on the end of the nose, because why the hell not?

Cas ducks his head and then he gives Dean a shy glance from under his lashes. It's only then that Dean realises that somehow he's stopped adjusting Cas's collar and his thumb has moved up to touch Cas's skin, stroking in a small circle and Cas's lips are parted and Dean's close enough to see the way they quiver a little, as if waiting for Dean to pull away.

He doesn't know why the hell he does what he does next, but he just lifts his hand and lets his thumb stroke the edge of Cas's jaw and Cas's lips press together, those eyes going impossibly wide as Dean's hand lifts, his fingers now touching Cas's hair, just marvelling that inside all this is this being who's been around for so many years, and who's chosen against everything else, to be with them. To stick with Dean.

And who currently is turning scarlet even as Dean's fingers keep stroking, biting his lip and his eyes darting in a way that should not be as sweet as it is, and that's when Dean opens his big, fat mouth and lets the words fall out: "You do that a lot about me, you know that?"

Castiel stares and his mouth opens and closes but nothing comes out. Dean gently jabs his cheek. "The blushing" he says, biting back a grin, and Castiel tenses up, his lips snapping together with a look of apprehension as if waiting for Dean to push him away.

"Hey, hey, wait-" Dean's got one hand on Castiel's chest and the other in his hair, and their mouths are way, way too close and it's then that Cas takes a breath and says "Dean", his voice just a whisper-

And then the door opens and Sam walks in and Dean lets go of Cas's hair straight away and his hands are back at his collar, even as Cas's chest rises and falls against his.

"You guys OK?" and Dean immediately throws back over his shoulder that no, they're fine, Sam, they're fine, why wouldn't they be, what's that freaking look for, Sammy, and they're just-

He trails off at the look that Sam's giving them both and then wishes his brother would fly through the nearest window and vanish because the next thing Sam comes out with is "So, you guys are fine. Why've you got your hands in Cas's shirt, Dean?"

Cas makes some sound that's kind of like a squawk and kind of like someone being strangled and Dean nearly falls over the words. "Cas-collar-helping-just-"

And Sam holds up his hands and says "Relax" with that smug-ass grin and Dean's a few moments from sending him through that window himself.

But when he glances back at Cas, that small grin is still tugging at his mouth and those blue eyes keep flickering shyly back to Dean's, and yep, he's still blushing. Definitely still blushing.

Dean doesn't want to check if it's a two-way street so he marches into the bathroom where he spends almost ten minutes convincing himself that it's totally normal to stroke your angel friend's face and that his life would have been much better if he'd stayed an only child.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The fifth time, Sam's picked up some girl in a bar and Dean and Cas are lying on Dean's bed.

It wasn't a conscious thing, Dean's still trying to persuade himself. But Cas just sat on the end of the bed while Dean lay back and tried to find a good movie on cable-Cas really needed to get into more movies, Dean needed to take him in hand-and eventually, Cas just scooted further and further back while Dean criticised the acting and the special effects and just about everything else while Cas tilted his head to the side and asked questions like "What is the blonde girl trying to accomplish here, Dean?" and "Why is he so convinced that man is his father?"

And somehow, Cas just moved further and further back up the bed, until he was leaning back against the pillows next to Dean. And then Dean's hand just fell onto his shoulder and stayed there.

And then he somehow ends up with his fingers in Cas's hair and Cas turns to stare at him with those big, bewildered eyes, and Dean reckons he knows what's coming. And hey, why not have a little fun with it?

So he lets one finger stroke the edge of Castiel's jaw, and gets to watch the angel shudder, his fingers closing suddenly around the bedcovers. Dean bites back another grin, lets his finger tickle Castiel's neck and a sound comes from the angel's throat, a sound that has his head snapping up, his eyes wide and panicked, and that blush creeping up his cheeks again. If someone had told Dean a few years ago that he'd be hanging out in a motel room, having fun winding up an Angel of the Lord, with the sole aim of making this Angel of the Lord blush, Dean would have told them they were crazy.

He stops, his fingers still wound in Cas's hair, and he says quietly "You OK, Cas?"

Castiel nods slowly, that blush creeping up his cheeks again. "Yes" but he never takes his eyes off Dean's.

Dean leans over and lowers the volume. He doesn't know why he's doing this, he doesn't know why he's leaning closer to Cas, he doesn't know why he's saying "I didn't mean like that" and he doesn't know why his heart rate's picking up as his mouth comes nearer and nearer to Castiel's.

Castiel freezes an inch away and then he says, his voice low "You're thinking of what Zachariah said. I-"

Dean swallows, as Cas's eyes search his face, tongue flickering at his lips as he searches for words. What the hell was he thinking, taking Zachariah's word for it-God, Cas probably doesn't want this, they're so far from anything an angel could want, _he's_ so far from anything Cas could want-

"Cas-I-" but Castiel is already speaking.

"I-Dean, I don't expect anything from you." Castiel's eyes are so, so blue and there's a determined set to his jaw, but his voice trembles all the same, an unangelic crack in the words. "I-I am sorry you heard that from Zachariah, but I know that your interests do not lie in that area. I-this is all-very-new-but-"

Dean grinds his fist into his chest, because his heart is throwing itself against his ribs so hard that it hurts. "Wait" he says and he holds the other hand up because he's got to get this clear. "You think I don't feel that way about you?"

Castiel blinks. "What way?"

Dean shakes his head and then says "How you feel about me."

Castiel's eyes flicker away and Dean can feel the heat in his face through his hands. "I know you do not think about me the same way I think about us" he says, the words dragged from his chest, his voice so freaking _raw._ "And I do not wish to-I do not wish to put-" He drags his hand across his neck again. "I've come to regard our friendship-with a lot of-care, Dean. I do not wish to endanger it. And I do not wish to make you feel under any pressure to-to pretend you reciprocate any kind of feelings that are more than-" He freezes, his eyes on Dean's as if he knows he's said too much, and Dean slides his other hand under his chin.

"So, just to be clear-" and Castiel's skin is hot under his hands. "You think I don't feel anything-more for you?"

Castiel is staring at Dean with something that looks like a mixture of terror and hope caught in his eyes. And it's then he says "I hoped you'd never find out" and his voice is so soft that it cuts at Dean's skin to even hear the words. "I-I have fought it, Dean, I have tried to ignore how I feel, I honestly-and I do not expect anything from you in that-"

"OK" says Dean, and he says it quietly. "OK. Don't I get a say in this?"

Castiel nods. "I-of course, Dean. Of course." But he's still tense under Dean's hands and he looks as if he's waiting for Dean to push him backwards off the bed.

"Right" says Dean and maybe it's the fact it's just them or maybe it's the darkness of the room or maybe it's the fact that this is Cas and it's not anyone else, and maybe it's the fact that this has been building between them since that first moment when Cas walked through those doors or maybe it's just that he wants to do it and has for a long time. But he tilts his head and his mouth bumps, hot and open, into Castiel's and he kisses him.

Castiel freezes, startled and eyes still wide open for a moment, and then his hands slide into Dean's hair, and his mouth moves clumsily, frantically, as he kisses Dean back, his stubble scraping Dean's chin. There's nothing elegant about it, nothing practiced and that just makes Dean hold Castiel closer, almost push their mouths together, as he explores every inch of his tongue and his lips and hears that strangled gasp from Castiel's throat that makes him clutch Cas closer, his hands slipping under his trenchcoat, sliding against his shoulder blades, massaging where he knows Cas's wings are , somewhere. Cas is still kissing him, trying to match the movements of Dean's lips with his own, as if he's still trying to figure out quite how this works, and Dean slides a hand into his hair and takes control, letting his lips move slower, his tongue slide into Cas's mouth and after a moment, Castiel just lets himself be kissed and gives this raw, desperate little groan as his own hand slides onto Dean's hip through his jeans, another gripping at the back of Dean's neck, like he's never planning to let go. It's raw and strange and different and messy and it's probably the best kiss Dean's ever had.

When they break away, Castiel's chest is rising and falling and he's staring at Dean, eyes wide and cheeks flushed, gasping for breath, his lips raw and red, and he's looking at Dean like he can't believe what he's seeing in front of him, like Dean is something special, something he almost can't believe he's allowed to touch. Dean can feel his own heart slamming against his chest and he reaches out and hooks Cas's tie loosely around his fingers and gently pulls him closer, one hand stroking back his hair. "That's what I say, Cas" he says, his own voice rougher than he expected, his lips burning and his mind filled with Castiel's mouth and Castiel's kisses and Castiel's hands and just Cas.

Castiel is still staring and Dean says "You're blushing" again because it is kind of cute and because he wants to make Cas do it more.

Castiel bites his lip. "I-I didn't mean to-I mean-I-I-"

And Dean kisses him again, softer and gentler this time and Castiel makes a surprised noise in the back of his throat and then just lets his mouth open to Dean's.

"I like it" Dean whispers in between kisses and Castiel swallows. "It is an involuntary action, Dean, I have no control over it-"

And Dean kisses him again because seriously, Cas needs to learn when to shut up and let someone kiss him. If that someone's Dean, obviously.

It's a few hours later when Castiel's lying with his head on Dean's shoulder, and Dean's hands still under his shirt, lazily stroking his back, that Castiel props himself up on one elbow and stares at Dean. "You are important to me, Dean Winchester" he says softly and Dean swallows. Cas slides a hand under his chin and says "Dean-" in a way that makes Dean glance up before he can stop himself, see those big blue eyes serious again, roaming over Dean's face. "You are-" His lips work silently for a moment. "I care very much about you" he says and the words are stilted and unfamiliar in his mouth but still make Dean's heart do some weird twisting, lurching thing that he would die if he ever spoke about out loud.

"Yeah, well-" and the only way to deal with this is to lean in and kiss Cas again. "I, um-" Dean's never been good with this. Dean's barely ever said this to anyone. "I, you know." He clears his throat. "I care about you, too."

Castiel just looks at him and then he smiles, that smile he only gives Dean. Dean chews his lip and glances away until Castiel's stare brings his eyes back, until he can't look away anymore. Castiel leans in and kisses Dean first this time, a slow, gentle kiss that leaves Dean open-mouthed, silently asking for more when Castiel breaks away.

Castiel stares at him and then his mouth breaks into a grin that makes Dean fasten his hand in his hair. "What?"

"Dean, you're blushing" says Castiel and Dean stares at him for a second, at that grin and those words and that mouth and the whole thing that was Castiel staring out at him, grinning like he and Dean are the only two things left in the world.

"You are" and Castiel touches a finger to Dean's cheeks, with a sound that's suspiciously like a giggle. Castiel, Angel of the Lord, just giggled. And he's in Dean's arms. And he's with Dean right now, and he wants to stay.

And Dean really wants him to stay.

So Dean just leans back in and brings Castiel's mouth back to his because what else can he honestly say to that?

**Author's Note:**

> Castiel is the most adorable angel in the garrison, let's be real.


End file.
